Last fall, as Wall Street blew up and the economy melted down, a number of large network marketing corporations posted some of the largest sales figures in their history. Even as millions of people saw their savings evaporate and stock portfolios disintegrate, network marketers worldwide were quietly taking stock of their businesses and asking, “Are we okay?”

In the main, the answer appears to be a cautious yes: network marketing historically has been to some extent countercyclical, faring relatively well at times when the economy at large does poorly. Still, to find adequate comparisons to the economic panic of today one has to look back to the 1930s—a time when network marketing had not yet been invented. So how are we doing?

For this issue, we assembled a panel of American thought leaders to give us their thoughts on the state of the profession. The consensus: our current economic woes may well bring about a historic upsurge in the popularity of the network marketing model. — J.D.M.

John Assaraf
Many people have the wrong idea of what network marketing is; the truth is that the business has evolved significantly in the last twenty years. There are those who will shy away from network marketing because of its past, and then there are those smart ones who will make their fortunes because they can forget the past and see the future.

In network marketing, the power of your connections and determination allows you to...